Mushrooms for Color

This year we're exploring the Fungi kingdom, and learning about mushrooms in the garden, great outdoors, kitchen, and dye pot. Our first book is Mushrooms for Color, by Miriam C. Rice (1918-2010) and Dorothy M. Beebee. This book was published by Mad River Press, Inc. (Eureka, California, 1980). Rice was an artist-in-residence at the Mendocino Art Center and became fascinated with dyeing fibers with mushrooms. Beebee is an illustrator and artist, and collaborated with Rice. Together they developed a full-spectrum color wheel of mushroom dyes, including yellows, blues, and reds. They both worked with mycologists, scientists, and enthusiasts from around the world, and became experts themselves, delivering presentations at conferences and leading workshops.

The section on Mushroom Dyes provides basic information about mushrooms, mordants, color, and color fastness, dyeing, and the use of protein fibers (especially wool and silk). The section on Color Index describes the colors that mushrooms produce using different mordants, provides a color index of mushroom dye colors, and documents formulas and dye experiments. The section called Identifying and Classifying Mushrooms for Color was written by mycologist Dr. Susan D. Libonati-Barnes, and provides scientific information about fungi, how to identify mushroom types, parts, and species, how to classify mushrooms, and how to collect them.

The sections Identifying and Classifying Mushrooms for Color and Drawings and Descriptions of Dye mushrooms were written and illustrated by Dorothy M. Beebee, and provide information about the mushrooms and dye results, with notes about the mordants, mushroom parts, and processes used. Beebee uses the knot format that Rice developed as a shorthand to quickly convey this information (for example, no knot means no mordant, one knot means alum mordant, and five knots means iron mordant). The backmatter provides an appendix about Chemistry of Mushroom Dyeing by Erick Sundstrom of Sweden; a Mushroom Index that focuses on dye mushrooms in Northern California; and a bibliography of related publications.

Charming illustration by Beebee, showing mushroom morphology (page 66) 

This is a wonderful reference book for mushroom dyers. It's also conveys how interest in mushroom dyeing started, grew, and spread around the world, all within the last 50 years. Rice and Beebee were passionate about finding out what dye colors mushrooms could produce. They kept records, worked with mycologists and scientists, and shared information. I especially appreciate that the book describes the dye mushrooms found in Northern California, such as Agaricus, Boletus, Cortinarious, Omphalotus, and Polyporus species. The book documents dye outcomes using chrome, tin, and copper as mordants, but informs the reader how poisonous they can be and recommends using salts, alum, cream of tarter, and iron instead. The color photos of dye colors and the detailed mushroom drawings add so much. I highly recommend this book as a resource.

Learn More

Recall that we watched the documentary, Mushrooms for Color, about Rice and her pioneering work extracting dyes from fungi (see Winter Movie 2026).

For information about Beebee and Rice, see the documentary, Try It and See: The story behind the discovery of mushroom dyes.

Field Notes for February 2026

 Welcome back to Field Notes!

February 1, 2026

Tilden Mushroom Exhibition. I spent some time at the annual Tilden Mushroom Exhibition this weekend (my first time). The Environmental Education Center was decked out with informative booths, fungi-related art, and mushroom exhibits. One table especially caught my eye – one that featured mushroom dyes. Artist Elissa Callen displayed some beautiful silk scarves that had been dyed with mushrooms, in lovely shades of gray and brown. 

Tilden Nature Area: fungi exhibits in the Environmental Education Center

Mushroom dye exhibit (Elissa Callen, artist)

Outside, three long tables exhibited plates of mushroom specimens, identified by common and scientific names. Many of the specimens were from Tilden Nature Area, but others can be found in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mendocino, and elsewhere in Northern California. The specimens represented many of the common mushroom groups, including gilled, boletes, polypores, bracket fungi, puffballs, jelly, Earthstars, Earth tongues, and lichen. See Mushroom Parts and Types, the Common Mushroom Groups section for a comprehensive list of groups. 

Fungi specimens from Northern California

I also attended an excellent presentation called Documenting Fungal Diversity in the Age of Community Science, by Dr. Brian A. Perry, Ph.D., California State University, East Bay. He gave a related talk at the 2023 Tilden Fungus Fair, called Documenting Fungal Diversity with Dr. Brian Perry (see https://youtu.be/tlz3tJHoeNw). Dr. Perry travels the world with his team collecting and documenting fungi wherever they go (it is estimated that only about 3% of the world's fungi species have been named and documented).

The team works in the field to gather information and specimens, working closely with local Citizen Scientists. They use silica gel to dry and preserve specimens for later study. When the team returns home, they reconstitute the specimens in the lab, create a description, extract DNA, and name new species. The documentation and samples are entered at the Fungarium at Cal State East Bay.

Dr. Perry provided information about some great resources for identifying and reporting fungi specimens, which I'll organize for a later post. With so many budget cuts for science over the last year, he emphasized how important Community Science is for studying fungi.

February 3, 2026

Cooking with mushrooms. I purchased these white beech mushrooms from the grocery store, and decided to add them to a beef stroganoff that I was making for dinner. The mushrooms are cultivated by the Hokto Kinoko Company, and grow in tight clumps from a shared base (called gregarious). They have a standard convex cap, with gilled undersides. They fried up quite nicely, along with some cremini mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), both of which added a delicious, earthy taste to the stroganoff.

White beech mushrooms (Bunapi champignon)

February 6, 2026

OTHG Hike to Landfill Loop. I recently joined the Over-the-Hills Gang hike to Wildcat Marsh and Landfill Loop Trail—which circumvents Garbage Mountain—near Richmond, CA. Normally a hike that includes the terms "landfill" and "garbage" in its description would not beckon, but this outing turned out to be so unique, interesting, and beautiful in its own way! The trail is on private land, but was built by the East Bay Regional Park, and joins the San Francisco Bay Trail. Anthony Fisher was our hike lead.

 

The Loop Trail circumvents Garbage Mountain

View of Garbage Mountain across Wildcat Marsh
(as seen from the west end of the Loop Trail)

The area is very industrial, including a solar panel farm, landfill, and green waste recycling center; and a view of the oil refinery and its storage tanks across Castro Cove. But there are also wonderful views of  San Pablo Strait and San Francisco Bay, and Point Pinole to the north. This is a view of the Bay Area that most people don't see!

View from the south side of Loop Trail

Cookie break at the half-way point (upwind)

February 8, 2026

Flora and fauna at Landfill Loop. I'm not sure what the Landfill Loop looks like in other seasons, but it was lush and green in late winter. The vegetation is not too diverse, but we encountered many drifts of Oxalis and Aster along the trail. We also saw many seagulls, hawks, geese, and ducks. 

Flock of seagulls congregating off shore from Garbage Mountain

Drift of Oxalis along the trail

Mound of Asteraceae

February 11, 2026

Mushroom Hike at Tilden Nature Center (2 of 3). I attended another Mushroom Hike at Tilden Nature Center (this is the second hike in a series of three mushroom hikes). This time our leader was Paula Urtecho, who is very knowledgeable and managed to find many mushrooms, despite having almost no rain for the last month. The group was very engaged and eager to see all the specimens possible. One of the home-schooled kids on the hike was also very knowledgeable and helped find a lot of specimens (his go-to guide is All That the Rain Promises and More).

Hike leader describes the parts of a mushroom

The beautiful Turkey Tail bracket fungi (Trametes versicolor)

We learned that, even though Fungi is in its own kingdom, it is more closely related to the animal kingdom than the plant kingdom. Apparently fungi and animals share a common ancestor, making us practically "cousins"! We saw some unusual mushrooms on our hike, which help illustrate the diversity of mushroom types and shapes.

Mushroom cap underside includes ridges (although it is pretty far gone)
Oak Loving Elfin Saddle (Helvella dryophila)

Tiny Carbon Antlers (Candlesnuff fungus)

One more Fungus Hike at the Tilden Nature Center is planned for February. To learn more, visit the Easts Bay Regional Park District website and search for activities. Rain is forecast before the hike, so we may see a bumper crop of fungi!

February 14, 2026

Bobo Chronicles. Bobo the Husky really likes taking rides in the car. If a walk is part of the car ride, he likes it even more. We took a drive to the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, and enjoyed a sunny, but crisp, walk along Millionaire Row. The grounds were green from winter rains, but no flowering tree blossoms yet.

A winter walk at Mountain View Cemetery with Bobo the Husky

February 18, 2026

Mushroom parts. This mushroom popped up in the yard recently under the oak tree. Now that I'm learning more vocabulary for fungi, I'll take a stab at describing it. The mushroom cap shape is Depressed (concave, bowl-like, or sunken), but it could also be Infundibuliform (funnel- or vase-shaped, deeply depressed, or shaped like a chalice). The mushroom cap underside is definitely gilled, so belongs in the Gilled Mushrooms group. So far I don't have a name for it.

Mushroom with a depressed or an umbilicate shape

Mushroom gills (foreground) and its stem (background)

February 21, 2026  🎂

Eden By The Bay Anniversary! Today is the 15th anniversary of Eden By The Bay. The first post appeared on Feb 21, 2011, Welcome to Eden. Here's to fifteen years of gardening, nature, and exploring the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond! Thank you for joining me on the journey. Along the way, I discovered that I'm not much of a gardener, but I'm passionate about the subject, nature, plants, learning and exploring! I think that counts.

February 25, 2026

Mushroom Hike at Tilden Nature Center (3 of 3). I recently attended the final Mushroom Hike at Tilden Nature Center (this is the third hike in a series of three mushroom hikes). This time our leader was Anthony Fisher, familiar from our twice-monthly OTHG Hikes. He is also very knowledgeable about fungi and has an eye for spotting mushrooms. We've recently had a good rain in the Bay Area, so we saw quite a few mushrooms. As always, the group was very engaged and eager to see all the specimens possible. 

Mushroom lovers gather at Tilden Nature Area

Cowboy's Handkerchief (Hygrophorus eburneus) poking up through the detritus

Anthony provided a QR code, which enabled us to download a PDF file, entitled "Tilden Nature Area Mushrooms: A Visual Guide to Some Local Fungi". It is a wonderful visual reference of the mushrooms we encountered in the area, and we used it throughout the hike to identify what we saw.

Ridges underside the False Chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca)
Note the pamphlet in the background 

Cramp Balls (Annulohypoxylon thouarsianum)
The little black fungus balls appear on recently dead oak

That is the last of the Fungus hikes scheduled at the Tilden Nature Center in February. Visit the East Bay Regional Park District website to search for upcoming activities. I recommend joining the Over-the-Hills Gang hikes that take place in parks throughout the East Bay Regional Park system. It's great to get out in nature, and we see mushrooms throughout the year on these hikes.

Mushroom Parts and Types

Before I can make more progress learning about mushrooms, I need to learn some vocabulary and a few concepts. I've already learned that mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of certain fungi. Fungi is in its own biological kingdom, separate from plants and animals. The visible mushroom is only a small part of the larger organism, most of which is an underground network of thread-like filaments called mycelium.

But I need some more information about mushroom parts, types, and forms. This will help me describe what I'm seeing, and then identify what I'm seeing. I'm starting small, and will continue to learn more as I go.

Mushroom Parts

First, some basic mushroom parts. Mushrooms come in many shapes and sizes with endless variations, but the following diagram shows some of the common parts (see the definitions below). Knowing these parts and their purpose is a good place to start.

Parts of a Mushroom (illustration by Zhousun21, based on public domain art)

Parts Defined

• Cap: the structure on top of the mushroom that contains the gills or pores. Mushroom caps come in different sizes, shapes, colors, and textures. They can be smooth, covered with scales, or have teeth.

• Cap Undersides: cap undersides can be in the form of gills, teeth, ridges, or pores (the illustration shows gills). The purpose of these structures is to produce and release spores, which are used by fungi to replicate. Gills may be made of one or two layers: the lamellae that reach from the stem to the edges, and lamellulae that are shorter gills that don't reach the stem.

• Stem or Stipe: the stalk of the mushroom. Its primary function is to support the cap and the spores it contains.

• Scales: rough patches, flakes, or shaggy patterns of tissue found on the surface of the cap. Scales form hard-shelled protection for fungi, and can be used for identification. They typically appear on the mushroom cap but can be present on the stem.

• Ring or Annulus: some mushrooms develop a partial veil that surrounds and protects the underside of the cap. As the mushroom develops, the partial veil, or annulus, breaks away and is left hanging around the stem.

• Volva:  other types of mushrooms develop a universal veil that encapsulates the entire mushroom during development. As the mushroom matures, the universal veil breaks off. Pieces of the veil, or volva, remain attached to the bottom of the stem.

• Mycelial Threads: an underground network of hyphae (or branching filaments that make up the mycelium). Their primary function is to collect nutrients and water. When conditions are right, mycelium may produce a mushroom.

Mushroom Cap Shapes

The mushroom cap shape is an important feature for describing and identifying mushrooms.

Mushroom Cap Shapes (art by Real Mushrooms®)

Basic Cap Shapes

• Conical: caps that form a cone, hood, or pointed helmet shape, often tapering to a point at the top. 

• Campanulate: caps that are shaped like a bell — narrow at the top, widening toward the edges, with a rounded crown and curved sides. The "bell-shaped" structure often features a central, slight bulge and is a common, distinct profile.

• Ovate: caps that have an egg-shaped form, resembling half of an egg or a rounded oval.

• Flat: caps that are spread out, horizontal, or disc-like rather than domed, conical, or umbrella-shaped. This shape can indicate a mature growth stage, a specific species type, or a bracket-like growth habit.

• Infundibuliform: caps that are funnel-shaped, vase-shaped, or deeply depressed in the center. The shape resembles a cone or a chalice, with the edges often raised and the middle dipping significantly downward.

• Convex: caps that have a smoothly rounded, domed, or umbrella-like appearance. They resembles an inverted bowl or a gentle curve, and it is one of the most common shapes for young mushrooms and agarics. ("Agarics" refers to fungi with fruiting bodies that resemble an ordinary mushroom, having a convex or flattened cap with gills on the underside).

• Depressed: caps where the center of the cap is lower than the surrounding area, creating a concave, bowl-like, or sunken appearance.

• Umbilicate: caps that feature a small, distinct, navel-like depression or "innie" hole right in the center.

• Umbonate: caps that feature a raised bump, knob, or "outie" protuberance in the exact center. 

Note that many mushrooms have unique shapes that do not conform to these basic shapes, such as tooth fungi, like Lion's Mane mushrooms; or shelf fungi, like Turkey Tail polypore mushrooms. Others, like jelly fungi, are defined by their gelatinous, rubbery texture and diverse, irregular forms that appear as blobs, brain-like masses, cups, ears, or branched corals.

Mushroom Cap Undersides

The mushroom cap underside is another important feature for describing and identifying mushrooms. The purpose of the undersides is to deliver spores, so they are adapted to do so in their specific environment.

Mushroom Cap Undersides (art by Real Mushrooms®)

Basic Mushroom Cap Undersides

• Gills (or lamellae): thin, papery, blade-like structures on the underside of a mushroom cap that radiate from the stem, and maximize surface area for spore production and dispersal. They contain spore-producing cells called basidia and are categorized by shape, density, and attachment type. The gills may not touch the stem (free); be broadly attached to the stem (adnate); run down the length of the stem (decurrent); or reach the stem and turn upwards, attaching with a narrow point (adnexed). Gill spacing can be crowded, close or distant. Edges may be smooth, serrated, or uneven.

• Teeth (also called spines or hydnoid structures): a specialized spore-bearing surface found on the underside of certain fungi, serving as an alternative to gills or pores. They are long, thin, shaggy, or icicle-like projections that hang down from the mushroom cap and house the hymenium (spore-producing layer). Spores are released from their tips. Examples include Lion's Mane, Hedgehog, and Coral Tooth mushrooms.

• Ridges (also called false gills): a type of spore-bearing surface found on the underside of certain mushroom caps (and sometimes down the stipe toward the ground), distinguishing them from true gills, pores, or teeth. They look like raised veins, shallow wrinkles, or blunt, thick folds rather than thin, papery sheets. They are not easily detached from the cap, and seem to be part of the mushroom flesh itself. Like gills, their purpose is to increase surface area to produce, store, and disperse spores. The most well-known examples of mushrooms with ridge structures are Chanterelles. 

• Pores: the downward-facing, sponge-like openings of a poroid hymenophore, consisting of tightly packed vertical tubes under the cap that house spore-producing tissue. Unlike gills, these tubes protect developing spores, releasing them through the pore mouths when mature, common in boletes and polypores. Pore size, shape, color, and density vary by species, and are used for identification.

Common Mushroom Groups

Following is a list of common mushroom groups. I'm not providing details, but the list will be handy as I encounter different types of mushrooms. I already recognize some of these names from our Over-the-Hills Gang hikes, and from a recent Mushroom Exhibition that I attended at the Tilden Nature Area. Some types are familiar from the kitchen.

• Gilled Mushrooms
• Boletes
• Polypores
• Bracket fungi
• Chanterelles
• Puffballs
• Cup Fungi
• Corals
• Stinkhorns
• Jelly fungi
• Earthstars
• Earth Tongues
• Morels
• Truffles
• Crusts
• Lichen
• Yeasts
• Smuts
• Bunts
• Rusts

Learn More

There are many wonderful sources out there for learning more about mushrooms. Following are some resources that I'm finding useful. Another great resource is the iNaturalist app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

• Mushroom Appreciation - blog about North American mushroom species. Includes recipes. 

• Mushroom Classification - Mushroom Identification. Amazon Storefront.

• Mushroom Morphology - Mushroom Identification. Amazon Storefront.